Codes and Keys
by lunarism
Summary: In Magnolia's slums, Fairy Tail works to protect civilians from a corrupt police force, and behind the mess of crime and justice something even more sinister is stirring. But Levy McGarden, the crux of Fairy Tail's intelligence system, has another problem to deal with. And this problem drives a motorcycle. Modern day AU, rated M for language and sexual content.
1. uncommon alliances

**A/N: **Hello, everyone! This is my first big Fairy Tail fic, starring my most favourite couple, Levy McGarden and Gajeel Redfox. Thanks Arabella for the beta, and thanks to everyone on Tumblr for the constant encouragement of a fic that took so long to come to fruition. Now, finally, I have a plan and a plot, and some free time to get this show on the road.

Reviews are much appreciated and give me the best motivation to update and improve, so please leave your comments, and enjoy!

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_**Chapter 1: Uncommon Alliances**_

Levy McGarden's messy blue head weaved through Magnolia's rush hour crowd as she climbed up the subway station stairs and out into the summer evening. Bright lights lit up the buildings and billboards towering above her head, turning the city streets into a neon festival. Music pounded from the huge headphones covering her ears as her feet carried her the familiar route home. The lights grew dim behind her as she walked further into the depths of the gritty backalleys, footsteps matching the rhythm of the melodies and drumbeats. Feeling the familiar vibration of a new text message from the phone in her pocket, she reached in and pulled out the device. Before she had a chance to even see who sent the message, she smacked into a brick wall and fell flat on her behind. Funny, there had never been a brick wall here before. And brick walls didn't usually smell like gasoline and leather. And brick walls usually didn't yell things like, "Oi, what the fuck d'you think yer doin'!"

Levy opened her eyes. She had not, in fact, run into a brick wall. She had run into a giant, hulking man with a face covered in piercings. His wild black hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and his leather biker jacket was covered in scuffs. She let out a screech.

"S…sorry…I uh, I wasn't looking where I was going."

"Yeah, obviously," he snorted. "But…" he trailed off, a grin spreading across his face, "since yer here, I'll have yer wallet, phone, and those headphones look nice 'n expensive too, so I'll take them as well."

"You can't have my stuff!"

Levy cringed back as the man leaned over her, grabbing her by the arm and yanking her upright.

"I think I can, shrimp, unless you think you stand a chance fightin' me?"

Levy wriggled in his unyielding grip, trying to get free. At less than five feet tall, she didn't stand a chance.

"As long as you don't take my computer. I need that."

"Oh, yeh've got a computer, too? How much do you think it'll sell for? A couple hundred?"

"Excuse me, my computer is worth way more than a couple hundred – wait, no, you really can't take that, I've got the codes for hacking a least three federal information databases on there! That'll take me years to get back!"

"Do I look like I care?" he snarled. He really didn't look like he cared very much at all. "Shut up and gimme yer stuff, or else I'm gonna end up having to hurt ya."

Levy shivered. She felt tears of terror welling in her eyes. Resorting to her last option, she filled her lungs with enough air to support the loudest scream she could muster, and let out a piercing shriek, hoping someone would hear and come to her aid.

"What are ya doin'!" Gajeel groaned, clapping a huge hand over her mouth. "You fuckin' idiot, you'll bring the cops out."

As his words registered in her mind, Levy immediately ceased screaming. Her eyes widened with the realization that he was right, and punctuating the thought, right on time, police sirens blared in the distance.

"We have to get out of here," Levy squeaked, twisting from his grip. "Let go of me!"

"No way, shorty, if you get caught there ain't no guarantee you'll snitch on me."

"You're kidding, right? You honestly think I'd tell the police anything?"

"Not takin' that risk. Come on."

He dragged her along her behind him, Levy taking three steps for each of his, running to keep up as the sound of sirens drew dangerously close. She feared the police slightly more than she feared this metal-studded thug, so she followed him until they reached a motorcycle parked around the corner.

"No. No way," Levy said, eyeing the bike warily.

"It's this or you'll get caught by the cops. Deal with it."

He swung a leg over the seat and pulled her on behind him, starting the ignition. The engine revved as he yelled over the noise, "If you don't hold on yer gonna fall off."

Levy wrapped her arms around his middle, gripping him tight for dear life as she felt the wind rush all around her. After the initial terror, it dawned on her that she'd buried her face in his jacket, and for some ridiculous reason she felt a blush colour her cheeks. In a moment, however, she heard the rumble of a police car, but the siren sounded confused and muddled. Then she understood. It wasn't the sound of one siren, but the sound of three. Three sirens, surrounding them, as her would-be mugger pulled the motorcycle to a stop.

"Damn," Gajeel cursed.

"Dismount the motorcycle and put your hands in the air," the police loudspeaker blared. With no other choice, they obeyed. Levy heaved a sigh. She knew they never really had a chance of getting away.

A blonde young man got out of the police car in front of them, and smirking, approached them. "I'm Officer Sting Eucliffe. You've got the right to remain silent, etc. etc. Knowing you," he said, nodding to the man with the piercings, "you've probably got your rights memorized back and forth with the amount of times you've been arrested. However, I've never seen you before," the officer said to Levy, and gave her a once-over. "That is the most ridiculous hair colour I've ever seen. Going by that alone…I'd say you were a member of Fairy Tail. They completely lack any sense of dignity."

Levy put her hands on her hips, indignant. "At least we don't harass innocent people under the pretence of keeping the peace."

"Disrepecting an officer. Hm, I'd say that raises your bail by at least three hundred."

"You can't arrest us! We didn't do anything wrong!" Levy protested, barely containing her panic. How she would get herself out of this, she had no idea. She only hoped someone would notice her absence and start a manhunt or something. The man with the piercings just leaned against his bike, rolling his eyes.

"You think they care?" he said to her, looking bored, as if he'd done this a hundred times and her inexperience annoyed him. He probably had done this a hundred times, actually. Officer Eucliffe proceed to place handcuffs around both their wrists. Levy considered protesting, but didn't want to look the idiot in front of this man who seemed to barely mind at all.

A teenager boy with red hair and freckles exited Officer Eucliffe's car. "Lecter, get their names, please," the officer told him. Levy assumed he was an apprentice, or doing work experience for school or something. _They sure like to rope them in early, _she thought, feeling almost sorry for the redhead. He was going to inherit a city of people who hate him, a police department so power-hungry and corrupt that not even the officers attempted to deny it.

"Gajeel Redfox," the man said when the redhead asked for his name. Levy looked at him. She knew that name. Gajeel Redfox, Phantom Lord's Iron Dragon, one of the most feared men in the city. She laughed nervously.

"What?" he asked her.

"N…nothing. Just…nothing, nothing at all," she answered, taking a step back.

"Figured out who I am, huh?" he grinned dangerously at her. "Consider yerself lucky I decided to take ya with me instead of killin' ya to keep yer mouth shut."

"Heheh, yeah, lucky…"

Lecter, the redheaded boy, looked up from his notepad. "Keep her mouth shut about what?"

"Nothing," the two said simultaneously. Levy wasn't the kind to rat out a fellow criminal, even one who tried to mug her in an alley. When it came down to it, no matter whether the gangs were trying to protect others or working for their own gain, they had one common enemy: the Magnolia Police Department. And besides, ending up as an enemy of Gajeel Redfox was one of the worst positions anyone could be in, and one she didn't intend to inhabit.

"Whatever," Lecter said, shaking his head. "Your name?" he asked, looking at Levy.

"Levy McGarden." She couldn't help glancing over to Gajeel as she stated her name, wondering what he thought of her, whether it was a name he would remember after tonight. The thought crossed her mind that she hoped he would. Then, she internally kicked herself because he was a violent thug who'd gotten her arrested and she did _not _want any further association with him after tonight, thank you very much. All the same, she was fascinated by the metal studs on his face and the way he seemed so comfortable with making trouble. Fascinated, yes, but also wary, and a little afraid of this dangerous man.

"Now get in the car, both of you."

Levy hesitated, then obeyed, figuring that it would be best not to exacerbate the situation any further. Sliding into the backseat, separated from the front by metal bars, the panic she'd been holding at bay for the duration of their arrest became tangible, and she balled her hands into tight little fists. She heaved deep breaths, hoping to calm her heartbeat as the reality of the situation caught up with her. Gajeel clambered in next to her, still looking bored, as if this was nothing more than a small nuisance to him. Truly, that's all it probably was.

"Nice going," he muttered under his breath.

"Are you talking to me?" Levy asked indignantly, annoyance momentarily replacing panic.

"Do ya see anyone _else _I'd be talkin' to?"

"So this is my fault?!"

"If you'd just given me yer stuff – "

"If you hadn't tried to mug me – "

"Just doin' my job."

"Well, maybe you should get a new job if you don't want to be frequently arrested!"

"Well, maybe you could shut yer trap for five seconds and you wouldn't be so fucking annoying."

"Oh, so now you're just going to insult me?"

"I've got a right considering this is yer fault."

"Excuse me!"

"Like I said, if ya just kept your damn trap shut and given me yer stuff we wouldn't be here."

Levy fumed. This arrogant, rude bastard couldn't possibly be serious. He sat there nonchalantly, then reached in his pocket and pulled out a cigarette and a lighter. Her jaw dropped. This was just going too far.

"You can't smoke in a police car!" Levy squeaked, but he ignored her and asked "Mind crackin' a window, officer?"

"You can't smoke in a police car, Redfox," Officer Eucliffe informed him sternly, but rolled his window down nonetheless. Gajeel lit the disgusting thing and took a drag, blowing out the smoke lazily.

Levy just stared.

"What?" he grunted.

"I…you – ugh! I cannot even believe you!"

He flashed a smirk, and breathed a puff of smoke straight into her face. She burst into a fit of coughing, trying and failing to maintain her stony glare. He turned away, ignoring the barrage of insults she flung at him, taking leisurely drags of his cigarette. Eventually, Levy gave up and leaned her forehead against the window, watching the city rush by. Pondering this catastrophe of a night, she couldn't help but wonder what sort of consequences tomorrow would bring. She had a creeping feeling that once the sun rose, the Magnolia slums she called home would never be the same again.


	2. playing for bail

**A/N: **Sorry for the wait! I really do prefer updating more frequently but sometimes life gets in the way, you know? This story should run about 25 chapters total, give or take, and next chapter is when the actual plot will really start to reveal itself. I'm so excited about this story, and I have so many shippy scenes and bits and pieces I can't wait to write in.

Please follow and favourite and comment - it gets me motivated and I really appreciate it. Thank you for reading!

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_**Chapter 2: Playing for Bail**_

The McGarden girl was fiddling with her handcuffs, clearly unused to the chafing metal against her wrists. Served her right. If she was that small, she might as well slip out of the cuffs altogether and save him the annoyance of spending the whole night in the damn cell with her. Gajeel lounged on the thin mattress of the bed, caving under his weight. At six feet five inches, he dwarfed the girl sitting against the opposite wall. He supposed they must look a rather comical pair, but the thought failed to amuse him. He had hours until Pantherlily, his roommate and best friend, noticed his absence, as Gajeel was prone to late nights and bar fights and all sorts of trouble that kept him out until the early morning hours. Hopefully they had enough cash saved between them to pay whatever exorbitant bail the police required this time. The shrimp, however, was on her own. The officers laughed in her face when she demanded her phone call. Not only was she pathetically tiny, but also pathetically naïve. No police officer of this city would grant a call to a member of Fairy Tail. They'd been after the gang for years, but always failed to provide enough evidence of their so-called crimes to hold up in a court of law, and the freaks always got off scot-free. Didn't hurt that the boss, Makarov, used to frequent high places and still had friends up there in the world of the elite.

Not that Gajeel really gave a shit about the fairies anyway; his employment by Phantom Lord comprised of the odd and the illegal, all the dirty work that no else wanted and he didn't mind doing. He stole hotwired cars, he sold illegal arms on the black market, he killed his enemies and unceremoniously tossed their bodies in dumpsters with not even a sliver of remorse. Yet here he was, in jail, because some tiny frickin' girl couldn't keep her mouth shut.

He sighed loudly.

"Listen," Levy started, but he shot her a glare so deadly that she promptly shut her mouth and looked away. Gajeel lit another cigarette. He'd begged his lighter back off Flair, the reheaded receptionist, and was now flicking the flame on and off.

"Hey, I'm sorry," the girl told him before he had a chance to shut her up again. "I wasn't thinking and I…yeah. I'm sorry for this."

"You ruined my night, ya know. I'm a busy man and I don't have the fuckin' time to sit around in holding cells until someone shows up to pay my bail."

"Oh, what plans? Like mugging people and engaging in other illegal activities? I bet that keeps you _really _busy."

"As a matter of fact, it does, yeah. So shut it."

They sat for a few minutes in silence. The girl, Levy, began to read what previous criminals had scratched into the light blue walls of the cell. Gajeel watched her, contemplating exactly how much someone could get on his nerves before he punched their face in. He didn't believe in hitting girls unless they deserved it, and this one definitely, definitely deserved it. But he didn't feel like breaking her face as much as he should. In fact, he didn't feel like breaking her face at all. Hmph. Strange.

"Hey…" She turned to him.

"What?" he grunted in reply.

"Could you stop smoking those in here? It makes my nose itch."

"Not a chance, shorty."

"I'm not that short!"

"Yes you are."

"Fine. Then could I try one?"

"Try what? A cigarette?"

"Yeah," she blushed, embarrassed. "I mean, everyone I know smokes them, and I never have, and I mean, it's not like one is going to kill me, and – "

Gajeel chuckled at the absurd mental image of Levy smoking a cigarette.

"Fine, you can have _one, _and you don't get a replacement if you fuck it up," he said against his better judgment, but curiosity got the better of him. He could have easily refused, but part of him wanted to see if the girl would actually go through with it. She appeared so clean-cut that it seemed unlikely.

"Okay."

He took a cigarette and a lighter and handed them both to her. She held the cigarette between her teeth and flicked the lighter, holding it to the tip.

"Why won't it light?"

"You have to suck the flame in, stupid."

"Wha – _oh, _I get it," she breathed in and the embers caught, the tip of the cigarette glowing red as she inhaled. Gajeel raised his eyebrows, surprised at her success, until she coughed out a cloud of smoke and asked hoarsely, "Why do people _enjoy _this?"

"It's a lot better if you don't cough it all out, dumbass."

"Why are you always insulting me?"

"I'm always insulting everyone, don't think I save it specially for you."

Levy glared, raised the cigarette to her lips, and took a drag. Gajeel waited for her to choke again, but instead, she gracefully exhaled a stream of smoke directly into his face. She grinned, clearly thrilled at her success, and also at the annoyance clear on Gajeel's face as he sputtered and waved away the smoky cloud.

It amazed him that this half-pint girl could piss him off so damn much. By the laws of physics someone this small shouldn't be able to have such a giant capacity to frustrate him, yet here they were. If it were anyone else, he would have knocked them unconscious by now, but he didn't want to be stuck without company for the rest of the night. Even if that company did drive him crazy.

"Could ya maybe _not _do that?"

"Just returning the favour," Levy replied with a mischievous grin.

"If we weren't in a police station I'd beat ya senseless," he muttered, rolling his eyes. The threat was meant to frighten her, but her wide eyes appeared curious instead.

"Where's your sense of humour, Gajeel?"

He whipped his head around, startled by the sound of his name in her saccharine voice.

"Haven't got one."

"I don't believe you," she announced, tilting her chin up to look him in the eye. "You don't have to act so tough all the time. I'm not afraid of you."

"This ain't a therapy session, so I'd shut up if I were you, shorty."

"You know what I think? I think that you – "

"SHUT UP!" Gajeel growled, climbing from the bed and yanking Levy up by the wrists. Satisfied by the apparent terror in her eyes, he brought his face inches from hers and said softly, "I think that maybe you should be afraid of me, hmm? Don't forget who I am."

He could feel her trembling in his grip before he let go and settled back into his seat on the hard mattress, smirking. Levy stood still for a moment and then sat abruptly, hugging her knees into her chest.

"Sorry," she murmured.

Gajeel ignored her, smoking an eternal parade of cigarettes. The hours to dawn ticked past one by one. Levy fell asleep, still curled in a ball, emitting the occasional dainty snore. He shouldn't be irked by his actions. Gajeel Redfox, the Iron Dragon, was supposed to be a violent bastard. That was the point. So why did the bruises he could see forming on Levy's wrists bother him?

A tumble of voices interrupted his train of thought, the sound of a slamming door startling Levy awake as well. Officer Eucliffe came into view through the bars of the cell, followed by Lecter and a tiny old man clad in the ugliest, most colourful sweater Gajeel had ever seen. Gajeel recognised the man immediately only from the rumours he'd heard in bars and backalleys: Makarov Dreyar, Fairy Tail's boss.

"Levy, my dear!" Makarov called, bringing a grin to the girl's face. She let out a sigh of relief. "You have no idea what I had to pay to meet your bail, I'm impressed," he winked as Eucliffe unlocked the cell. Levy giggled.

"Thanks, boss. Sorry about the trouble."

"On the contrary, you've given me a rare opportunity I would never have been granted otherwise." Makarov shot Gajeel a piercing glare. "Mr. Redfox, considering I paid your bail too, I'm requesting your participation as a member of Fairy Tail until the debt is paid off."

"W-WHAT?!" Gajeel spluttered in shock. "No fuckin' way, old man."

"Alright, if you'd really rather stay in here…By the way, I've discussed this with your friend Pantherlily and he agrees that it's an excellent idea, so he won't be covering the cost of your bail this time. He believes that Phantom Lord is negative influence on you and would much prefer you reevaluate your life choices while working for Fairy Tail. I'm inclined to agree."

Gajeel attempted to register the absurd turn of events, searching for any kind of loophole that didn't result in him remaining in prison indefinitely or facing the wrath of the gang who ruled Magnolia. Yeah, there wasn't a loophole. Keeping his expression neutral so as not to betray the medley of unpleasant emotions boiling just beneath his skin, he returned Makarov's glare and gave one short, sharp nod.

"Alright. You win. But only for as long as it takes to pay you back. And only," he paused, narrowing his eyes at Levy, "if _she _stays out of my way."

Makarov chuckled. "On the contrary, Gajeel, you'll be assisting her with Fairy Tail's new commission. I'll brief you on the project with the rest of the team back at headquarters," he informed them, walking out the door. Neither Gajeel nor Levy moved, both frozen with shock. Makarov looked back, "Are you coming? I think," he paused, a twinkle in his eye, "that we're going to have fun with this one."


	3. home is where people don't mind

**A/N: **Ugh, I want to update more often but life keeps getting in the way. This time it was an infection in my digestive system, which, you know, was _super _fun. But I'm feeling better now, and hoping to give you three or four updates before I start school on the 27th! After that, posting will probably go to once every week or so, but I really want to keep up my writing during the school year because it makes me happy.

Please review and favourite and follow, I'd really appreciate it!

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**_Chapter 3: Home is Where People Don't Mind Their Own Business_**

Levy stared up at the dingy high rise apartment building, leaning crooked against a sky pale with the suggestion of sunrise. Standing in the midst of a block populated by abandoned storefronts and padlocked doors, the ruckus drifting out the windows shattered the lonely silence of the street. Above the double doors the led into the building, a huge spray-painted scrawl of graffiti read "Fairy Tail". After last night, it felt good to be home. Although, she thought sourly, casting a glance at the man who stood next to her, her current company wasn't exactly ideal.

Makarov led the two through the doors into the lobby.

"Levy!" Two voices yelled as she walked in, and Levy tumbled to the floor under the impact of Jet and Droy's enthusiastic hugs.

"You guys, mmph, get off!" she managed.

"Where were you?"

"We were so worried!"

"Are you okay?"

Jet, tall and skinny, and Droy, his love of food apparent in his physique, pulled Levy to her feet. Amidst their jumble of questions and reprimands, Levy heard a snicker. She glared at Gajeel, leaning against the doorframe and watching the scene with obvious amusement. Jet and Droy followed Levy's eyes to the huge man, and their jaws dropped.

"Wha – who – who is that?" Droy asked. Jet looked from Gajeel to Levy, and back to Gajeel, before his eyes widened and he stammered, "Levy – did you two – are you…"

"NO!" Levy and Gajeel enunciated in unison, glowering at each other.

Makarov stepped forward, informing Jet and Droy, "This is Gajeel Redfox, formerly of Phantom Lord, and as of this morning Fairy Tail's newest member!" He beamed.

"_Temporary _member, old man. And," he looked with disgust at the two young men flanking Levy, "Who are these two?"

"These are Jet and Droy. They help me with my job."

"Yeah, and we protect her too. Like bodyguards." Droy tried to look menacing and failed miserably. Gajeel rolled his eyes. So did Levy.

"How many times do I have to tell you two, I don't need you to protect me. You're assistants, _not_ bodyguards," Levy replied wearily.

"Oi, what exactly _is _it that you do, short stuff?"

"Um, I write computer scripts and use them to hack into databases and networks and stuff to get information."

"She's incredible!" Jet added, making Levy blush.

"It's not that big of a deal, really – "

"On the contrary, my dear," Makarov interrupted, "It's thanks to you that we're so successful at our job."

Gajeel shook his head in confusion. "What are you guys talking about?"

Makarov smiled slightly, "You see, Gajeel, Fairy Tail isn't just a gang. We try to be a force for good in this world, and that means taking on more than just protecting citizens from the city offices on a case-by-case basis. Since Fairy Tail was founded, we've made it our mission to find as much evidence and information as we can, in the hopes to one day reveal the truth about the corruption and injustice in Magnolia and change this city. And now, we might just have the means to do it."

"Oh man. No way you've roped me into some deluded fuckin' charity deal. You've got to be kidding me," Gajeel groaned.

"Wait, Master Makarov, what are you talking about?" Levy asked, eyes bright with excitement, "Did you find something important?"

"It's better than that. I'm calling a meeting. Go wake everyone up," Makarov replied.

"Doesn't sound like anyone's freakin' sleeping anyways."

"Oh, it's always like this," Jet said to Gajeel, "You'd better get used to it. Or you could just leave."

Gajeel narrowed his eyes at Droy, "Believe me, I wish I could."

Levy exhaled heavily at the dawning realization that she would have to put up with this until Makarov decided to let Gajeel go, and that could be _months _of dealing with this violent egomaniac distracting her from her job. Her shoulders drooped, and she turned to trudge up the stairs to her bedroom to wash her face and straighten out her bright blue tangle of hair, ignoring the bickering boys behind her. As she rounded a corner halfway up the stairwell, she heard a shriek. Her best friend Lucy Heartfilia caught her eye and bounded down the steps to meet her, greeting Levy with a tight hug.

"Levy! Where were you?" she asked, holding the smaller girl at arm's length and examining her with concern. The tall blonde wore a blue miniskirt and her makeup was pristine as always, a startling contrast to Levy's smudged mascara and wrinkled jeans. "You're a mess. And you smell like cigarettes."

"Er, I got arrested and spent most of the night in a jail cell with Gajeel Redfox," Levy blurted in a rush.

"What?!" Lucy shrieked again, eyes wide with gleeful curiosity. "Tell me _everything_."

"Lucy, I need to clean up – "

"Perfect. You can tell me while I help you. Come _on,_" Lucy urged, grabbing Levy by the elbow and dragging her the rest of the way up the stairs to her room.

As Levy wiped the grime from her face and untangled her hair, she told Lucy the story. From Gajeel's attempted thievery to the motorcycle chase to the cigarettes in the cell, she spilled all the gritty details to her best friend, delighting in the shock on Lucy's face. But when she remembered how Gajeel had grabbed her wrists and told her to be afraid, when she remembered the violent steel in his eyes, she grew quiet. Pushing up her sleeves, she examined pale skin bearing the evidence in purple splotches, sighing.

"What is it, Levy?"

"Nothing," Levy answered hurriedly, but Lucy had already wandered into the bathroom. Leaning against the door frame, she gasped at the bruises on Levy's wrists.

"Did he do that to you? Oooh, I am going to kill him – "

"Lucy, it's fine, it's nothing."

"It is not, he hurt you!"

"I know, I just…listen, he'll be gone soon and there's really no point in making a big deal about it."

"Are you scared of him?"

Levy mulled over the question. Part of her wanted to say yes, because she really ought to be. He was, after all, one of the most dangerous men in Magnolia. He could snap her neck in an instant, and multiple times he nearly did. But another part of her wanted to say no, because he didn't end up snapping her neck all those time he could have. And she truly believed that everyone has good in them somewhere. It just takes someone willing to find it.

"Yeah, I am. But maybe not as scared as I should be."

"Well, I'll be around to make sure he doesn't even think about going near you," Lucy said, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, uh…that's not going to work. Makarov has a new project and apparently he wants me and Gajeel to…work together."

"Nope. No way! I refuse to let that happen."

"Lucy, you know what Makarov says goes. There's nothing I can do about it."

Lucy spun on her heel and flounced out the room, calling over her shoulder, "Well, there's something _I _can do about it!"

Levy buried her face in her hands, groaning morosely. She knew Lucy well enough to realize that she was on her way to give Makarov a piece of her mind. Levy had hoped to keep the dramatic antics to a minimum, especially concerning Gajeel, but she should have known how impossible that daydream was for anyone in Fairy Tail. She ducked her head with a small smile, happy to be back. Despite Fairy Tail's intimidating reputation, they were more of a huge dysfunctional family than a gang of criminals, and Levy had to admit she found it endearing.

Realising she would probably be late for Makarov's briefing if she didn't hurry, she changed out of her dirty clothes and pulled on a clean dress, tugging an oversized flannel shirt over the top and trying not to think about the trouble Lucy was getting her into. Just then, she heard a rapping on her bedroom door.

"I'm coming!" she called, giving herself a once-over in the mirror and deeming her appearance marginally acceptable.

Levy opened the door to see a beautiful woman with long red hair glaring at her. "E-erza! Hi – what do you need?"

"Gajeel Redfox, eh?"

"No! I mean wh-what about him?" Levy stuttered.

Erza smirked. "Thought so," she said, turning and walking down the hall.

"Wait, what? What did you think?! I didn't say anything!"

Levy trotted behind Erza, the fearsome fighter tossing her long hair and flashing a grin at Levy. "I wonder if Mirajane is collecting bets yet…"

"BETS? WHAT? No, you've got it all wrong. Makarov will explain…I hope," she added in a mutter, shaking her head in dismay. Dysfunctional family indeed – in Fairy Tail, rumours flew faster than bullets and carried more value than cash. Levy never had the misfortune to be the subject of those rumours, preferring to lay low and poke fun at the others. That is, until now.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Erza and Levy walked through the doors of what used to be a rec room, but now served as the hub of Fairy Tail's headquarters. No one had ever removed the ping-pong table remaining from the buildings old days as a residential apartment, though, and on Friday nights they held table tennis tournaments inevitably ending in participant-wide melees over the outcome of the win. Her friends, Natsu, with bright pink hair, and Grey, currently shirtless, lazily hit the ball back and forth across the table, the sound of their paddles punctuating the low hum of the gathered gang waiting for Makarov to begin his announcement. As Levy entered, a hush fell over the room. Someone giggled. Levy shrunk back, hesitating before making her way to Lucy's side, pointedly avoiding the magnetic draw to meet the gaze of the black-clad man on the other side of the room. Slowly, the noise level rose again, and Levy let out a breath of relief.

Lucy huffed with annoyance. "Honestly, he could at least talk to someone instead of just sulking in the corner."

"It's not like he even wants to be here in the first place, Lucy."

"Well, from the way he's looking at you, he doesn't seem like he minds too much," Lucy muttered in reply.

Levy kept her eyes fastened to the laces of her shoes. "Don't be ridiculous, Lucy. He's just here to pay off his debt to Makarov. Okay?"

"I still don't like it. What if he hurts you again?"

"I don't think he did it on purpose…"

"Don't defend him. Unless he apologises, I'm not letting him near you."

"Lucy…"

"As your best friend, it's my official job to make sure you don't do anything stupid."

"I can take care of myself."

Lucy looked at her in surprise. "I know you can. But no matter how smart you are, you don't know everything, Levy, and it doesn't hurt to have someone on your side."

Levy squeezed Lucy's hand. "Thanks," she smiled.

At that moment, Makarov himself appeared, climbing up to stand on the top of the ping-pong table and disrupting Natsu and Grey's increasingly violent game.

"Attention, everyone! Most of you have already heard, but today we're welcoming a temporary new member to Fairy Tail, Gajeel Redfox!" Makarov gestured to Gajeel, and a weak applause filtered through the crowd.

Gajeel merely glared.

"I have also received a message from a benefactor who wishes to sponsor our campaign against the Magnolia city defence, and is willing to provide both funding and information about the police force and city jurisdiction in order to help us."

This statement, unlike his previous introduction, resulted in a raucous cheer. Levy gasped. Could it really be that someone with wealth and influence, and most importantly, information, wanted to help them? Could they give her the puzzle pieces she'd been missing, tell her the reasons why the Magnolia police databases were impossible to crack when she could access the Pentagon files without batting an eyelash?

"This could be the break we've been hoping for," Makarov continued, raising his voice over the gleeful cacophony, "and the team will be jointly headed by Mr. Redfox and our own Levy McGarden."

Amidst the noise, Lucy let out a 'hmph' and crossed her arms. While Lucy fumed, Levy glanced around the large room, searching for the face of her new teammate. Gajeel locked her in his gaze; she felt like a deer in headlights as a shiver ran down her spine. He nodded curtly, then disappeared out the door.


	4. raindrops and wildcats

**A/N:** Not much Gajeel/Levy interaction in last chapter or this one, but I promise to make up for it in chapter five (which will include, among other things, jealous Gajeel, computer hacking, and a 3am yelling match). Thanks so much to everyone for all your support and promotion of this fic, I'm so happy that you're enjoying it enough to want to share it with other people. Aaaaaaaand thanks so much to my beta and best friend Arabella, for being my number one fan and collaborator in all things fictional.

Just a note about Pantherlily: I'm not describing appearance extensively in this story because it's pretty unnecessary considering you probably already know what everyone looks like, but since we're used to seeing Panther as a cat and not a person, I wanted to let you guys know that in this AU he's a super attractive African-American guy about 5 feet 11 inches tall. So make of that what you will.

Please review, favourite, and follow, it means the world to me!

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_**Chapter 4: Raindrops and Wildcats**_

_Stupid girls and stupid debts, _Gajeel thought as he left the Fairy Tail building behind and walked through the streets of the inner city. His eyelids hung heavy, begging for rest after last night's sleepless adventure and the morning's upheaval, but he had a few people to find first. Unfortunately, the people he was looking for were possibly the stealthiest individuals in Magnolia, and unless they wanted to be found, he didn't stand a chance. The clouds above promised rain, and Gajeel groaned as he looked at the grey sky and felt the first drop land on his upturned face. Taking shelter on an empty doorstep, he sat and watched the downpour from his temporary shelter. Perhaps waiting for them to find him was a better strategy.

And indeed, a few minutes later, he heard the distinctive clack of high heels matched with another set of softer, almost catlike footsteps. The silhouettes of his friends, hazy through the sheets of rain, appeared before him. The woman held an umbrella above their heads.

"So, Gajeel…Juvia hears that you've found a new guild."

"Not by choice," he growled. "Blame Pantherlily for that."

The two stepped out of the rain and sat on the steps on either side of Gajeel. Juvia, dressed in her usual deep blue dress, and Pantherlily, dark hair cropped short and white shirt spattered with raindrops, sighed simultaneously.

"I'm only doing what's best for you, Gajeel," Pantherlily told him.

"Is this a fuckin' intervention or something?"

"Er, sort of," Pantherlily answered. "We just think…maybe you could use a change of scenery. José is scared of you, Gajeel. He's scared that you're going to try and take over Phantom Lord. You've got no one your side, besides me and Juvia. And…we're worried about what's going to happen."

"Juvia thinks Pantherlily is correct, Gajeel. And besides, Gajeel is always so angry and unhappy. Juvia doesn't like to see you like this. Juvia wants Gajeel to smile," Juvia added, and even Gajeel could hear the sadness in her voice.

"Tch, you two are such pussies. Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself."

"We know you can, Gajeel. But we're your friends – no matter how much you deny it – and we don't want to see you dead."

Gajeel didn't say anything.

"Fine," he grunted, finally responding. "But you two better be comin' with me, I can't deal with those fairies on my own."

Juvia smiled. "Of course Juvia and Pantherlily are coming. Juvia wouldn't let her little brother go off on his own without taking her with him."

At that, Gajeel had to laugh. "Little brother, huh? You still haven't given that up?" He shook his head, thinking back to the first day he'd shown up in that orphanage, pissed off and throwing punches. Juvia eventually got so fed up with his behaviour she poured a jug of ice water on his head, then declared herself his big sister, ignoring the fact that he was both older and bigger than she was. She took his hand and showed him around, introducing the sodden, sulking Gajeel to the other children. Even once they'd left the orphanage and became recognised names in Magnolia's underground network of criminals for hire, Juvia still hadn't given that term of endearment up. If it was anyone else, Gajeel would punch them, but he harboured a soft spot for the woman who'd been his only friend until they met Pantherlily years later. Now he had two friends. And a city of enemies. He supposed he didn't have a choice but to join Fairy Tail now, not if his own boss wanted him dead.

He lit a cigarette, then passed the lighter to Juvia.

Pantherlily looked on with disapproval. "You two are going to get lung cancer if you keep that up."

Gajeel and Juvia both stared straight ahead and steadfastly ignored him.

"Fine, on your own heads be it."

Juvia blew out a curling puff of smoke, and turned to Gajeel, her eyes lighting up with a mischievous twinkle. "Juvia has just remembered - there are rumours about a girl, yes?"

"Dunno what yer talkin' about, woman."

She poked his arm. ""Juvia thinks you do, and Juvia wants to know every little detail."

Pantherlily smirked on his other side, and chimed in, "One of Makarov's fairies, I heard. Cute little thing with bright blue hair. Apparently he took her for a ride on his motorcycle."

"'I was just tryin' ta make sure she didn't rat me out!""

"Oh, so it's true!" Juvia grinned triumphantly.

"I'm not having this conversation."

"Someone's touchy. Is it because you like her?" Pantherlily teased.

Gajeel stood up abruptly and faced his friends sitting on the steps. ''I'm going."

Juvia and Pantherlily shared a knowing look.

"It seems like Gajeel has found a girl up to his standards."

"Let's hope he doesn't fuck this up."

Gajeel turned and stomped out into the rain, rolling his eyes. Ridiculous.

"Gajeel, where are you going?" Pantherlily called.

"Gettin' my stuff from Phantom Lord's place. Makarov wants me in the Fairy Tail building in case of emergencies. He'll want you two as well."

Phantom Lord headquarters resided inconspicuously in an old building, just like Fairy Tail and most of the other gangs in Magnolia hiding from the brutal hand of law enforcement.

Juvia jumped up and followed him, opening her umbrella. "Juvia will come too. Just in case..."

Pantherlily joined the two. "Yeah, if José already has it out for you and he's found out about you joining Fairy Tail, well, Phantom Lord might not be the safest place."

"He'll probably think I'm plotting against him or somethin', paranoid bastard," Gajeel said, rolling his eyes. He should have expected a situation like this from José, Phantom Lord's boss. The pathetic man, although powerful, protected himself behind hordes of bodyguards and locked doors. He accommodated Gajeel because his skills made him a valuable asset, a tool to gain dominance over the other gangs in Magnolia's slums, but Gajeel knew that José always harboured a wary apprehension towards the Iron Dragon. Then again, so did everyone else, but the difference with José was that he would take action to eliminate any potential threats, and by joining Fairy Tail, that's exactly what Gajeel had become. From an outside perspective, Gajeel's actions were suspicious at best, and even though it wasn't exactly his fault, it sure looked like he was tossing José under the rug for Makarov and the fairies. And while Fairy Tail's business lay in protecting Magnolia's less fortunate citizens, Phantom Lord specialised in mercenary requests that often meant hurting the very citizens Fairy Tail worked to protect. Juvia and Pantherlily were right, and the situation was nothing more than a bomb ready to blow at the slightest touch. What a fuckin' mess.

"Juvia will tell José about the situation while you get your things, yes?"

"Sounds good," Gajeel nodded, "but he probably already knows at least part of it, so watch yer back in there, alright, Juvia?"

She tossed him a small smile. The three set off towards Phantom Lord, kicking up sprays of water with the clatter of their feet on the wet streets.

Gajeel shouldered through the double doors and into the lobby of the Fairy Tail building with a ratty bag slung over his shoulder, stuffed full of everything he owned. Pantherlily followed, also carrying a bag, albeit in better shape than than Gajeel's, and Juvia brought up the rear, pulling a monogrammed leather suitcase behind her. It wasn't important how she managed to afford it.

They stood for a moment, glancing around at the mismatched furniture and the places where holes in the walls had been patched up. However, despite the shabbiness, it was surprisingly clean. The cement floors gleamed, and the whole building smelled like Pine-Sol.

Voices echoed down the stairs, and Gajeel looked over to see Levy and her blonde friend skipping into view, followed by the pink-haired Natsu accompanied by younger boy dressed all in blue, a shirtless Gray, and Erza Scarlet, clad in a bulletproof vest. He knew these three by reputation, so the blonde must be the Heartfilia girl who often accompanied them on missions. He remembered the swarm of police that had infiltrated the backalleys to search for her when she'd run away from home; it had been a huge scandal that made his life even more complicated than usual. It's hard to be a career criminal when there's an officer around every corner. And the other three, well, they were known for their lack of damage control and their 99% win record for every street fight they got themselves into.

"Who are you guys?" Gray asked, catching sight of the soaking wet trio standing in the middle of the lobby.

"I'm Pantherlily, and this is Juvia Lockser. We're with Gajeel."

"So you guys are gonna be temporary members too, then? Cool! Hey, you guys wanna fight? It'll be fun! We can get to know each other - "

"Natsu," Erza said sternly, "that is no way to greet new members." She turned to Gajeel, Pantherlily, and Juvia. "Hello, I'm Erza Scarlet. Everyone, introduce yourselves."

They sheepishly complied, everyone offering their names. The boy in blue introduced himself as Happy. Tch. Ridiculous. That's an emotion, not a name. The blonde girl said her name was Lucy.

"Thank you, it's nice to meet you," Juvia smiled warmly. Pantherlily nodded. Gajeel just glared straight ahead, trying very hard not to let his eyes stray to the shrimp standing in the corner of his peripheral vision. She was looking at him, studying him, and he saw her brow furrow and the line of her mouth draw into a hard line at what she saw.

She opened her mouth to speak, but Erza continued, "We're on our way to patrol, we heard about a possible disturbance on the south side and wanted to make sure it was nothing to be concerned about. Did you see or hear anything on your way here?"

"That was me," Gajeel replied shortly, meeting Erza's gaze. The fairies looked at him quizzically. Levy's eyes widened with concern.

"Don't worry," Juvia said to her, "None of the blood he's covered in belongs to him."

"Why would I care!" Levy huffed, blushing bright pink. Gajeel rolled his eyes.

"_Awesome_!" Natsu cheered, "Tell us what happened!"

"No."

"Gajeel, don't be an asshole," Pantherlily told him. "If he won't tell you about it, I will, but do you think we could change out of our wet clothes first?"

The Heartfilia girl, Lucy, grinned and said, "We're still due for patrol, but I bet Levy would love to show you to the rooms you'll be staying in!"

Before Levy could say anything, Lucy grabbed Natsu and Gray and skipped out the door, pulling them behind her. Erza paused for a moment, looking at her three new comrades, then nodded and followed the others outside.

Levy shook her head as if to clear it, then smiled up at them. "Boys stay on the second and third floors, girls on the fourth and fifth. The electricity doesn't work on any of the floors above that, so we don't usually go up there. I can take you to the rooms you'll be staying in."

As she led them up the stairs, Gajeel eyes were drawn to her like a magnet. He didn't quite understand why he feared the consequences of being caught looking at her, but he knew it was a situation he wanted to avoid at all costs. However, nothing got past Pantherlily's powers of perception, and he leaned over and whispered, "You'd do well to be a little friendlier, Gajeel, since you're going to be here for a while. Especially to her. She might appreciate a little eye-contact every now again instead of you blatantly ignoring her, because even though to everyone else it's an obvious indication that you like her, she might not see it that way. "

"Dunno what yer talkin' about."

"Yes, you do. Don't ruin this for yourself, okay?"

Levy glanced back at Gajeel, concern apparent in the expression on her face. Seeing that he was already watching her, her cheeks went pink again and she quickly looked away. Pantherlily just smirked as they climbed the rest of the stairs in silence.


	5. team up

**A/N**: This chapter wasn't originally in my plans, but it just kind of happened unexpectedly. All the good stuff I promised you in my note last time will come with the next update, but in the mean time you can enjoy some good old-fashioned banter and also shirtless Gajeel.

Please leave reviews, they're like my oxygen and I can't survive without them.

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_**Chapter 5: Team Up**_

Levy sat cross-legged on the floor, listening intently to Pantherlily from his spot on the ratty couch as he relayed what exactly that south side disturbance earlier in the day was.

"So you know that Gajeel was previously employed by Jose as part of Phantom Lord?"

"Of course. Although I'm not quite clear exactly on what he did for them…" Levy replied.

"Well, Phantom Lord dabbles in black market dealing and private investigation and assassination assignments. Juvia and Gajeel joined about three years ago – "

"_Juvia_? You were in Phantom Lord too?!"

"Naturally," the woman nodded.

"But you're so nice!"

Pantherlily chuckled. "Appearances can be deceiving. Juvia's name isn't well-known around Magnolia, but that's because she likes to keep it that way. I'd wager she's just as dangerous as Gajeel."

Levy's eyes widened. She looked at the glamorous woman sitting in front of her, with glossy blue curls and high heels, and tried to imagine her committing atrocious criminal acts. It was surprisingly easy. Juvia flashed her a smile.

"What about you, Pantherlily?"

"I was never formally a member. I prefer to freelance."

"Isn't that dangerous? Not having anyone to protect you?"

"I've never been without friends to protect me. Gajeel and Juvia always back me up if I need it, and now I have Fairy Tail too. At least for a while."

Levy remembered that this was all temporary. Strange to think it had only been 24 hours since she'd met Gajeel in that alley, but he'd become a permanent fixture in the back of her mind ever since. Night had fallen, and outside old streetlamps flickered intermittently with flashes of orange light. Inside, the Fairy Tail members were scattered around the building, socialising and relaxing. Mirajane Strauss, the gang's resident den mother, was cooking a world-record size lasagne for dinner, and the smell of garlic filled the old rec room. Everything was as it should be, and everything was completely different than it had been yesterday.

"So what exactly happened today to end up with Gajeel covered in blood?"

"Well," Pantherlily said, "Like I said, Gajeel was a member of Phantom Lord. Jose, his old boss, gave him the jobs that everyone else was either incapable of doing or too scared to attempt. Most of them involved homicide and excessive amounts of violence, so naturally they were perfect for him."

Levy nodded to show she was following, but inwardly she couldn't shake the image of Gajeel gripping her wrists in the jail cell, telling her to be scared. Glancing at the bruises on her forearms, she knew he was right; his livelihood was murder. She'd been wrapped up in the world of criminals since she was a kid, been fighting the law as part of Fairy Tail for years, but killing in cold blood for money should be different. If you fear someone, you aren't supposed to want them around.

Pantherlily continued, "But lately, Jose's been getting paranoid about the kind of respect Gajeel gets from the other Phantom Lord members, and not just them, but everyone else in the business, too. See, he's scared Gajeel wants to seize control of Phantom Lord and take over Magnolia's hit business. Which, if you know Gajeel, is pretty much the most ridiculous assumption you could make, because he doesn't care about any of that. Jose is power-crazy and a little regular crazy too. So once he heard about Gajeel joining Fairy Tail temporarily, he assumed it was part of a plan to overthrow him or something."

Levy giggled, just because it was so absurd that anyone would consider Gajeel a threat to their power. Yeah, their life maybe, but not their managerial position.

"We went to Phantom Lord to get Juvia and Gajeel's things, but as soon as we walked in there were guns pointed at our heads. Gajeel told Juvia to go upstairs and pack his stuff for him while he took care of Jose's thugs."

"Gajeel was so unfair – Juvia wanted to fight them too," she pouted.

"It took him about a minute to knife them all. He said he didn't use his gun because he didn't want to waste the bullets. I didn't even get a chance to throw a punch."

"Wow. So that's why he was all bloody."

"Juvia came downstairs with their things and we got out of their fast just in case someone more formidable showed up to kill us."

"But, are you guys gonna be able to go back to Phantom Lord now that Jose is openly against Gajeel?"

"Juvia doubts it," Juvia said.

"Well then I guess that means you'll just have to stay forever!" a melodic voice chimed in, and Levy noticed Mirajane standing right behind her. "Dinner's ready!" she announced brightly. "I'm Mirajane Strauss, and I manage most of the household things around here."

She shook hands with Juvia and Pantherlily, who introduced themselves, then asked, "Where's Gajeel Redfox? I haven't seen him around since this morning."

"Gajeel is sleeping," Juvia told Mirajane. A wicked gleam appeared in Mirajane's eyes, and she looked at Levy with a crafty grin. "Say, Juvia, don't you think Levy should go wake him up?"

A matching smile appeared on Juvia's face, and she replied, "Juvia thinks that is a very good idea."

Levy felt her face grow hot. "W-why would I do that? Juvia or Pantherlily should do it, I-I mean…"

"Well, considering you two are going to be heading that new project Makarov told us about this morning, I think you two should get to know each other a little better, don't you think?"

"Uh – "

Mirajane grabbed Juvia's arm. "Come on, Juvia, you can help me serve up dinner. You too, Pantherlily, it's a good way for you to meet everyone!"

As Mirajane dragged Juvia off towards the old service kitchen, Pantherlily mouthed back at Levy, "Sorry," before following the two women out. Levy groaned and buried her face in her hands. Just because she'd ended up in jail cell all night with a motorcycle-riding cigarette-smoking career criminal didn't mean she wanted to…to do whatever Mirajane was dead set on making happen. Levy had never been a target of her notorious matchmaking, and everyone knew that however much in love with her Jet and Droy were, that was not going to happen.

Levy dragged herself to her feet and made her way through the rec room slowly filling with people. Jet and Droy themselves appeared through the door, faces lighting up at the sight of Levy walking towards them.

"Hey Levy, where are you going?"

"I'm supposed to go wake up Gajeel in time for dinner."

"We'll go with you!" they said in unison. Jet continued, "We'll protect you from him, Levy, don't worry."

Levy considered protesting, but figured that there was really no point since they would just follow her upstairs anyway. Resigning herself to the potentially incredibly uncomfortable situation ahead of her, she told them, "Oh, fine. Come on."

Reaching Gajeel's door, Levy lifted a curled fist to the wood, but hesitated, hand hovering in the air. Taking a deep breath, she knocked quickly and took a step back.

She heard a muffled, "Go away!" from inside.

"Gajeel, dinner's ready and you have to come downstairs."

"Hmphhhuuuruughhg."

She waited, arms crossed protectively in front of her, flanked by Jet and Droy, until the door clicked and swung open. Gajeel leaned against the doorframe, hair down from his low ponytail, shirtless. Levy opened and closed her mouth several times in a failed attempt to say something witty, before finally squeaking out, "Mirajane made lasagne."

Gajeel raised his eyebrows sceptically at Levy, smirking. The silence unfurled between them as Levy looked up to meet his stare.

"Ahem," Droy coughed, and Gajeel turned to look at him.

"So, short stuff, do these goons follow you _everywhere_?"

"_Goons_?!"

"_Short stuff_?!"

"Oh, calm down," Levy said to the boys. While she did feel a genuine affection for them, they tended to push her patience to its limits. Like right now. She looked back to Gajeel. "So, are you coming?"

"Yeah, whatever, lemme just put on a shirt. Unless…you prefer I didn't."

"Hey!" Levy had to grab Jet to stop him from tackling Gajeel.

"Tch. Ridiculous," Gajeel disdained, pulling a t-shirt over his head. He fell into step next to Levy as they walked down the stairs. "So…"

"So."

"So this job that Makarov wants me to help ya with, what exactly am I gonna be doin'?"

"Hmph," Jet grunted, and Droy commented under his breath, "I don't see why Levy needs anyone to help her besides us."

"But you don't do anything!" Levy snapped, immediately regretting what she'd said. She turned around to the stunned faces of her old friends. "Hey, listen, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it, you guys…It's just…" They just looked at her, reminiscent of lost puppies, and she fell silent, unsure of what to say.

Gajeel rolled his eyes. "Are we goin' or what? I'm hungry."

Levy glared at him. "Tactful, aren't you? Fine, let's go." She cast a guilty glance back towards Jet and Droy, then continued on down the stairs. Her friends didn't follow.

"I just don't know why they can't leave me alone sometimes! I can take care of myself. And they're so _sensitive_," Levy burst out all in a rush.

Gajeel said nothing.

"I mean, I've been friends with them since I first came to Fairy Tail when I was 11, but they have this stupid idea in their heads that they have to protect me and never leave me alone and it's the most ridiculous thing."

"Did ya ever consider, I don't know, _telling them that_?"

"Well…no."

Gajeel snorted. "Right little problem solver you are."

"I don't think it's any of your business, anyways."

"Accordin' to Makarov, while we're working together, your business is my business." At that, Levy felt a little thrill in the pit of her stomach. Almost like…butterflies. No. NO. Gajeel Redfox was not giving her butterflies. This was utterly unacceptably. But no matter how much she tried to quell them, they kept flying in circles around her insides. In an attempt to distract herself, she brusquely changed the subject back to the matter at hand.

"Oh yeah. Business. About that. I work in the basement, but on big jobs someone usually acts as my eyes and ears to make sure I have all the information I need. That's what you'll be doing. Since this job involves the Magnolia PD, I'm gonna need everything you know about the police department as well as daily reports on what they're up to."

"Doesn't sound too hard."

"Yeah, as long as you don't get yourself hurt or killed, that is." The words tumbled out and she wished she could reel them back in.

"That's a good joke."

"I'm serious, this is dangerous stuff." Levy thought back to what Pantherlily had told her about Gajeel's previous employment, but this underground investigation of the city law enforcement system was bigger and more complicated that any mercenary assassination could be.

"Don't worry about it, alright?"

But Levy couldn't seem to help it. It wasn't only his safety she was worried about. She was worried about the fact that she was worried about his safety in the first place, because that was a complication she did not want to deal with. She couldn't crush the butterflies no matter how hard she tried.


	6. roman candle

**A/N:** Ahhhh this chapter kind of ran away with me, but I love the way it turned out so no harm done. I'm really enjoying writing this story and having so much fun with it. School started last week, but I'm going to try and keep with once a week updates, probably at the weekend but it could be completely random.

Please please please leave your comments and opinions, reading your reactions is my favourite part!

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**_Chapter 6. Roman Candle_**

After three days at Fairy Tail, Gajeel was getting accustomed to the rowdy antics, loud brawls, practical jokes, and aura of chaos that filled the old hotel-turned-gang-lodgings from top to bottom. Not that he liked it, but he could tolerate it, for the most part.

"Hey, Gajeel!"

Gajeel whipped around at the sound of his name, but not fast enough. Happy, Natsu's 12-year-old protégée, leapt from the stairwell and landed on Gajeel's back with a thud, wrapping his arms around the man's neck and clinging on for dear life. Gajeel roared in annoyance.

"What do ya think yer doin'?"

"Natsu's out on patrol and I'm booooooooooored."

"Then why didn't ya go with him?"

"Because Lucy wanted go with Natsu _alone_," the young boy scrunched up his face in disgust, "And she said she'd have Mirajane turn me into stew if I followed them."

Gajeel reached his arm up and grabbed Happy by the collar of his shirt, extricating the boy from the piggy-back ride and setting him down on the ground.

"And you believed blondie? Ya really think Mira would turn you into stew?"

"Aye! Mira told me to give Natsu and Lucy their _alone time _or else there'd be _consequences_." The pout on Happy's face was so pronounced as to be comical. Gajeel rolled his eyes.

"Hey, Happy, I've got a suggestion of somethin' you could do. Go get Natsu's explosives, bring them out in the parking lot, and have a fireworks show."

"That's a great idea! But…fireworks don't look good during the day."

"Well, I dunno, wait until it's dark, then?"

"Yeah! I'll invite the whole guild and we can have a fireworks show."

"Right, so, you better get goin', then. _Now._"

"Aye, sir!"

Happy trotted off and Gajeel shook his head. _What a nuisance_, he thought to himself grumpily, making his way through the near-empty rec roon. Everyone was busy with something or other; everyone in Fairy Tail had a job, whether it was patrolling the area for police, dealing in black market supplies, collecting information, or just odd tasks to help out the citizens struggling to live in Magnolia's inner city. The people in these neighbourhoods came to Fairy Tail requesting help to fix roofs, deal with rowdy tenants, even babysit their kids while they worked odd hours to make ends meet. And Fairy Tail willingly obliged.

However, their biggest priority was to take down the wretched police who made these already difficult lives near impossible. Incarcerating parents for late utilities bills and arresting kids outside five minutes past curfew, demanding bail at a price too high for any of the slum's residents to pay. Not to mention the way they treated the gangs that sprung up out of a necessity to band together; whether good or bad, the police would attempt to handcuff known gang members for imaginary crimes and engage them in the kind of street fights where someone could easily die.

But now that Fairy Tail had a sponsor, someone willing to provide not only funds for equipment but also some valuable information, triumph had become a feasible possibility. And Gajeel was fifty percent responsible for making it happen. He wasn't even a legitimate member of the gang, and he'd been given the second most important job in Fairy Tail history.

The first most important job, of course, belonged to Levy.

He was on his way to report back to her at that very moment. He continued through the kitchen to the metal door set in the back wall. Pushing it open, he descended the steps into the dimly lit basement, a huge square concrete room, empty except for a mess of wires and computer equipment in the near corner. That's where Levy sat, at a semicircular desk atop which sat five computer monitors, three keyboards, numerous notebooks and papers full of scribbles, several reference books, a table lamp, and five empty coffee mugs. Levy herself stared intently at one of the monitors, examining unintelligible code scrolling quickly across the screen.

"Oi, shrimp."

She jumped, whipping her head around. Dark circles hung under her eyes and her hair was even more wild than usual.

Gajeel stepped into the pool of light. "Relax, it's just me." Levy was visibly relieved, shoulders sinking.

"Oh, good," she smiled. "Do you have anything to report?"

"Nah, I've been asking around for any information on the police force we don't already know, but it seems like nobody knows more than we do."

Levy let out a sigh. "I haven't had any luck either. I've been trying to script a program to hack into the police database so we can get a record of their illegitimate arrests, but it's so weird - I can't get through. Not even close. Their information is way too protected for a city police department. I'd expect this level from something like the Pentagon, but not the Magnolia PD." She looked close to tears, wringing her hands anxiously.

"Ah, don't worry about it, shorty. You'll figure it out. I mean, from what I've heard, you've never failed before."

"But this is the most important thing I've ever done!"

"Then it makes sense for it to be the hardest, right?

"Yeah, I guess." She yawned widely and stretched her arms above her head. Gajeel forced himself to tear his eyes away from the way her shirt was bunched up around her stomach, exposing a thin strip of skin just above the waistband of her skirt. Wait, _what the fuck_?

Before he could dwell on that thought any longer, the door burst open and Jet and Droy raced down the stairs, skidding to a halt next to where Gajeel stood.

"Yes?" Levy sighed.

"Your bodyguards are here to protect you."

"I don't even know how many times I've tried to tell you, you _aren't _my bodyguards."

"We just want to protect you!" Jet said earnestly, Droy adding, "Your safety is our first priority."

"I literally sit in a basement all day! In what world do I need protecting!"

Gajeel, who had been silent for the duration of the conversation, leaning up against the wall, took even himself by surprise, saying, "Besides, if she ever did need protecting, I think that falls under my job description, not yers. In fact, I don't remember ya even being assigned to this project at all."

Levy's eyes grew wide. Jet and Droy, however, were outraged.

"You're not even a real part of Fairy Tail!" Droy said.

"Excuse me," Levy interjected, "I'd appreciate it if you didn't insult my partner, thank you. Even if it's only temporary, he's just as much a part of Fairy Tail as I am."

Jet's eyes were narrowed, hiding his hurt, "Geez, Levy, I thought we meant more to you than this."

"You two mean so much to me, you do, but you have to stop being so – "

"So what?" Jet spat.

"So goddamn annoying!"

The effect of Levy swearing wasn't lost on Jet and Droy. Or Gajeel. Especially Gajeel.

"Fine, if that's how you feel, then we'll just leave you alone," Droy said, forlorn, hanging his head. "Come on, Jet, let's go."

The basement door slammed. Levy buried her face in her hands, all her spark gone.

"I just don't know what to do with them," came her muffled comment. "I love them, but sometimes they just make my job and my life so much more difficult. It's like I can't do anything without their approval."

Gajeel thought back to the fierce look in her eyes, the slip of a swear word, the kind of assertiveness he'd only seen glimpses of. He'd been warned that Levy wasn't quite as sweet as she seemed, that she was a little spitfire when she needed it to be. He liked it. "I think it was damn good ya stood up to them, shrimp."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

She yawned again. Gajeel glanced at the empty coffee cups, the wrinkles in her clothes, and asked, "Did ya even go to bed last night?"

"No, I forgot. What time is it?"

"It's 3 in the afternoon."

"Crap."

Gajeel grinned. "Go take a nap, Levy."

"You called me by my name."

"Figured it was the best way to get ya to listen to me."

"Well, it worked," she said, getting up. She gave him a hard stare. "Don't touch anything."

"Oi, why would I have any interest in yer crazy complicated computer magic?"

"It's not magic," Levy laughed, "just practice, and I still don't even know what I'm doing most of the time."

"Join the club," Gajeel grumbled. "Now get yer shrimpy ass out of here and get some sleep," he ordered, oddly concerned with her well-being. Tch. Whatever. She was his teammate, and the sooner they got this job done, the sooner he was free. Sleep was supposedly conducive to better brain function, or so he'd been told. Considering he was relying on Levy's brain to help him pay off his debt to Makarov, it followed logically that he should care about her sleep schedule.

Levy skipped past, shot him a brilliant beaming smile, and trotted up the stairs and out of sight. He stood, shell-shocked from that smile, until he gathered his senses and followed her out of the basement.

* * *

"Hey. Hey, shorty. Wake up!"

Levy snuggled deeper in her tangled sheets. "No."

"Geez, I thought _I _was a heavy sleeper."

"Huh, Gajeel?" Levy forced her heavy eyes open. "What are you doing in my bedroom!?" she screeched, looking frantically around to see if anything incriminating was visible. Thankfully, all she saw was stacks of books haphazardly piled and spare computer parts scattered across every surface.

"Lucy told me to come get ya, and ya didn't answer when I knocked," Gajeel drawled. He leaned against the windowsill, overly casual, arms crossed across his chest. His white shirtsleeves were rolled to his elbows, his patched jeans ragged, his hair tied back in its signature ponytail - and he looked utterly out of place against the flowery wallpaper of her room.

"Why couldn't Lucy come get me?" she asked, eyes narrowed with suspicion.

"Eh, somethin' about Natsu and not trusting him to be left alone…" Gajeel rolled his eyes.

After a pause, Levy asked, "So, what do you need?"

"Well, uh…I was kiddin' around with Happy earlier, and I told him to make fireworks with Natsu's explosives. I guess he took me seriously, and now he's got this whole show set up and wants everyone in the gang to come watch."

"You told Happy to play with explosives?!"

"It was a joke!"

"You're awful."

"Ain't news to me. You comin'?"

"Fine. But if anyone dies, I'm blaming you." Levy dragged herself out of bed. Halfway down the stairs, Gajeel looked over at her and raised an eyebrow.

"Yer still wearin' yer pajamas, ya know."

Levy groaned. They were pink, covered in kittens, and highly embarrassing. Gajeel snickered.

"I'll thank you to kindly shut up, please," Levy snapped, marching the rest of the way down the stairs, through the lobby, and outside to the empty parking lot where the rest of Fairy Tail gathered for the show. The night was clear, stars scattered like diamonds across the velvet sky. A chilly breeze wound its way through the crowd of fairies. Somebody, probably Mirajane, shut off the lights inside the building, leaving only flickering streetlamps to illuminate the darkness.

"Levy!" Lucy grinned. "I haven't seen you all day! How's the job going?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Levy sighed, leaning her head on her friend's shoulder.

Lucy patted her head. "Aw, you'll get it eventually, I just know it."

"How was your patrol with Natsu?"

"Gooooooooooooood," the blonde giggled.

"What happened?!"

"Oh, nothing, it was just nice to have some alone time."

"Come on, you gotta give me more than that!" Levy pleaded.

"Not until you tell me what going on with you and that Iron Dragon of yours." Lucy countered, grinning.

"He's not _mine._"

"Right."

Levy rolled her eyes, resolving to pester Lucy for the details of her patrol later tonight. For now, the whole gang milled about, waiting for Happy's fabled extravaganza. Levy had lost sight of Gajeel, but not even standing on her tiptoes could she see through the crowd to find him. Not like she wanted to, anyways. She was just looking out of curiosity. That's all.

It appeared that Lucy, too, was trying to catch a glimpse of someone; her eyes raked the crowd in vain for a head of bright pink hair.

"Looking for someone?" Erza appeared beside Levy and Lucy, arm in arm with Mirajane, a teasing smile on both their faces.

"No!" Levy and Lucy answered simultaneously, both sporting pink cheeks.

"I just saw Natsu helping Happy put the finishing touches on those fireworks we're all waiting for," the silver-haired woman whispered conspiratorially.

"I – uh, I'm just going to – I have an errand to run!" Lucy said over her shoulder as she disappeared into the throng.

"Unfortunately, I don't know where Gajeel is…" Mirajane continued apologetically.

"I wasn't looking for him," Levy lied. Not that she knew what she'd do if she found him. Probably just stand there, silently, at a loss for words for the first time in her life.

"Someone say my name?" Preceded by the smell of cigarettes, Gajeel appeared from the depths of the crowd. He took a long drag and blew a plume of smoke up to the sky. Levy watched it curl up against the canvas of the midnight sky, almost like the smoke of a dragon.

"Oh, Gajeel, those things can kill you!" Mirajane said, brow creased.

"It's none of your business, woman."

"It's just what Mirajane does; she looks out for everyone in Fairy Tail," Erza told him sternly.

"First, I'm not a part of Fairy Tail. Second, I don't give a fuck what Mirajane thinks. So, third, you can shut up about my smoking habits."

Tears welled in Mirajane's eyes. "I - I'm sorry, I'll just l-leave now." She burst into sobs and disappeared among the other fairies.

Erza's glare could bring down a building. She opened her mouth to speak, but Levy caught her eyes and shook her head imperceptibly. Erza nodded and stepped back. This was Levy's territory, and she was determined to claim it.

"That was utterly unacceptable behaviour, Gajeel!" Levy shrieked, drawing the looks of several people around them. "Mirajane works incredibly hard for everyone here – she cooks for us, keeps our home clean, and acts like the mother most of us never had. And you have the audacity to speak her that disrespectfully!"

"Oi, I can speak to anyone however I want. I didn't come in here pretendin' I was some kind of gentleman," Gajeel raised his voice to offer his rebuttal.

"Whether you like it or not, you're part of Fairy Tail, at least for now, and – "

"No way in hell am I part of this gang of circus freaks!"

The crowd had backed up to form a circle around the feuding team. Their argument had grown so loud that the assembled members couldn't pretend not to hear. And Fairy Tail, with it's penchant for gossip and drama, watched in fascination. Levy, with fists clenched and eyes on fire, standing her ground in pink kitten pajamas against Gajeel, two feet taller with arms crossed and jaw clenched.

"Master Makarov employed you to help me with this job, right? That means you're one of us, however temporarily! And Fairy Tail doesn't treat their own that way! We're a family!"

"I am not a part of your stupid fuckin' family."

"That doesn't mean you can be an asshole to everyone just because you want to be!"

"I can do whatever I want," Gajeel spat.

"Fine. But don't expect people to keep putting up with your bullshit, Gajeel. Especially me."

Half a second later, with a crackle and bang, a bright shower of chandelier lights shot into the sky. The golden sparks rained down, disappearing just a few feet above their heads.

"Sorry, guys, accidentally set that one off," Natsu scratched his head sheepishly. "So we might as well start the show, yeah?"

Behind him, Happy let out an "Aye, sir!" and lit the fuse of another rocket. It shoot upwards, this time releasing a volley of blue flares high into the sky.

Levy turned on her heel and stormed away from Gajeel, breaking through the circle of onlookers to stand beyond them, hands on her hips, breathing heavily.

After a few minutes, Erza approached the smaller girl.

"Gajeel gave Mirajane what could pass for an apology," she informed Levy.

"Oh, _really_."

"Well, he told her that she made acceptable lasagne. I suppose for Gajeel, that's as good as it's going to get."

"I just don't know what to _do _with him, Erza!" Levy burst out, plopping down on the curb.

Erza sat next to her, a small smile gracing her dignified features. "I think you're doing just fine. And, of course, if you ever decide that you're through with him, I can dispose of your Iron Dragon with ease."

"He's _not _mine!"

Erza laughed her deep, hearty laugh, and Levy couldn't help feeling better at the sound of it, like old church bells. "Everyone else can see it, Levy. Everyone but the two of you." Her face took on gravity, laugh fading away. "Don't let the chance pass you by, little one. Take it, before it turns into something that will ruin you." The redhead stood and walked back into the crowd, leaving Levy alone to ponder the cryptic conversation.

The fireworks had fizzled out, leaving a smoky film across the parking lot. Gradually, everyone filtered back inside, but Levy hugged her knees to her chest and remained, letting the chilly wind toss her hair and raise goosebumps on her skin.

"Oi."

Levy ignored the familiar greeting.

"Hey, shrimp, I didn't – "

"Go away."

"Will ya just listen to me for a minute?"

"No."

"…Please?"

That caught her attention. She glanced over at him, and was surprised to see no traces of anger, no hint of malice in the set of his features.

"I didn't mean – It's just that – I've decided to join Fairy Tail. For real."

Levy's jaw dropped. After a moment, she stuttered out, "R-really?"

"Yeah."

"But…why?"

"It's not like I've got anywhere else to go."

"Right."

"And Pantherlily and Juvia want to stay. And…I liked what ya said, about bein' a family. I've never had that."

Levy nodded. She understood that mentality all too well. Maybe she should listen to Erza, although she still wasn't quite sure what it was Erza had said. She assumed it probably had something to do with forgiving Gajeel. But she still had a score to settle.

She replied, "Well, for starters, you don't treat your family the way you treated Mirajane. Tell me, why were you so nice earlier? What's the point, if you were just going to end up being awful later on?"

"Because it was you, I guess."

"And that makes a difference?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"Yeah. It does."


End file.
